Season previews for teams
After finishing third in the WCHA, the expectations were set high for St. Cloud State: Do better. And if there ever was a Huskies team that could be up to that challenge, it may be this year’s. With plenty of scorers back, with the top goaltender back, with a team eager to prove last season … Read more
You think the stock market fluctuates too much? Try being George Gwozdecky. The last seven years have been like a cruel roller coaster ride for the Denver coach, who has watched his team look like it’s going to be a force in the WCHA for years to come, only to drop seven or eight places … Read more
Dean Talafous thinks the Gap is closing. But don’t run out to grab trendy-yet-overpriced clothes. He’s not talking about that Gap. The Alaska-Anchorage coach said the gap between his team and the league’s elite has dwindled. And, judging from last year’s results, he may be correct. The Seawolves were poised to host a first-round league … Read more
Everything else could wait. There was one bit of news the Wisconsin hockey program wanted to hear over all others. Dany Heatley is coming back. So they waited, the Badgers did, months after finishing one of the most successful campaigns on record, yet without a national championship to show for it. They waited to hear … Read more
The Year of the Goaltender? That’s the consensus among coaches in the WCHA, which features a crop of netminders perhaps better than any the league has seen in years. Todd D. Milewski slices, dices, mixes and purees the new season.
There was a point last season where Minnesota found out, all too clearly, that it may have been leaning on goaltender Adam Hauser. That’s when it all came crashing down. The Golden Gophers, on their way to home ice in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, got smacked square in the face when they … Read more
There are high hopes in Ithaca this year, as the Big Red return with a deep squad, a lot of experience and a good recruiting class.
The last nine months will not easily be forgotten in the State of Vermont, or around college hockey, or around the nation. In a nearly unprecedented move, the Catamounts suspended their men’s hockey season after an internal investigation into hazing allegations brought by walk-on goaltender Corey LaTulippe. Nine months later, the Catamounts are back on … Read more
One word described the St. Lawrence Saints of 1999-2000. “Magic.” The 1999-2000 season was one of wonder for the Saints. An outright ECAC regular-season title, their first ever; the ECAC tournament championship; a bye in the NCAA tournament; a thrilling overtime victory in the quarterfinals there and a trip to the Frozen Four. The Saints … Read more
The 2000-01 edition of the ECAC appears minus some familiar faces, but still capable of producing another down-to-the-wire finish as NCAA semifinalist St. Lawrence guns for a second straight title.
Let’s be honest. The chances of Harvard finishing eighth this season are pretty slim, but if there is one thing that we have all learned about the Crimson, it’s that you don’t always know what you are going to get. In his second year at the helm, Mark Mazzoleni has done everything in his power … Read more
After years of hearing about how young but promising Dartmouth’s teams are, could this finally be the year when all the premonitions come true? Head coach Bob Gaudet has been meticulously crafting this Big Green team for years. Two years ago, he brought in an offensively loaded freshman class that included such names as Frank … Read more
Is Jeff Hamilton what makes all the difference in New Haven? Despite the fact that the Eli lost five of its top scorers and its returning defensive corps is relatively unseasoned, some folks are still uncertain about how this Yale team will fare. Hamilton is the ultimate X-factor. “I believe that we are an enigma,” … Read more
With nine-year coach Don Cahoon leaving after a highly-successful stint, can Princeton graduate and long-time assistant Len Quesnelle fill the void that his mentor left behind?
There probably isn’t a team in the league looking forward to its freshman class as much as Brown. After two consecutive disappointing seasons, head coach Roger Grillo is looking for something — anything — to kickstart his program. "We’re not going to finish in 12th." — Brown head coach Roger Grillo “Last year was certainly … Read more
It was an improvement, albeit a small one. Five more wins for the Union Skating Dutchmen and an appearance in the ECAC playoffs, where they lost twice to the eventual ECAC champion St. Lawrence Saints by one goal. Small steps — what head coach Kevin Sneddon said it would take. Sneddon hopes that 21 returnees, … Read more
It was a tough season last year for the Clarkson Golden Knights. Under intense heat as the number-one preseason pick in the ECAC Coaches Poll, the Knights didn’t get out of the gate very quickly. In the end, the Knights posted their 25th straight winning season and advanced to Lake Placid, remaining the only ECAC … Read more
So many questions in Troy, and some wonder if head coach Dan Fridgen has the answers. Item 1: just two of the top seven scorers on the Engineer squad return. Item 2: a four-year goaltending duo graduates, leaving as incumbent a junior who played six minutes last season. So many questions. In nets, the Engineers … Read more
“At Colgate this year we are going to find out what life is like after Andy McDonald,” head coach Don Vaughan said. “You just don’t replace a guy like that.” You certainly don’t replace a guy like McDonald. An All-American, Hobey Baker finalist and ECAC Player of the Year, McDonald captained last season’s Colgate squad … Read more